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Denis O'Brien to invest USD3m in Duolog
Thursday, August 31 2000
by Joe Lynam


Esat founder and Internet entrepreneur Denis O'Brien is to invest USD3 million in
new mobile computing venture Duolog Technologies.

The investment from O'Brien, who received an estimated IEP150 million from the
sale of Esat Telecom to British Telecom in January, will go towards marketing and
research in the wireless Internet handset sector, which is predicted by Dataquest
to grow to over 800 million phones and PDA units worldwide by 2003.



The seed capital investment in Duolog, which employs 12 in Dublin's Sandyford
Industrial Estate, is to be made using Island Capital as a conduit alongside
private clients of Davy Stockbrokers. The new venture is to be led by former
Silicon and Software Systems (S3) managing director Ray Bulger and former
Partners In Europe creator Mark O'Donovan.



"The investment will be spent on expansion and growing the company to
appropriate levels as well as on recruitment, infrastructure and development of
intellectual property," said Bulger, who is now chief executive officer of
Duolog. "We are hoping to create patentable solutions using virtual pieces of
silicon and software."

 

Duolog, which hopes to achieve first year earnings of USD2 million, initiated
investment negotiations with O'Brien before the Esat sale to BT and has been
recruiting internationally since November 1999.  The company has secured senior
experienced executives from the USA, India and continental Europe, where both
Duolog founders were active in the last decade.

 

When asked by ElectricNews.Net whether the company was concerned that the mobile
software market was becoming cluttered, Bulger commented: "People will ask what
will you do with all the additional bandwidth which will be created with the
arrival of UMTS or 3G mobile phone networks.  Telcos will have to provide extra
services and above all else offer value to customers.  Duolog hopes to offer
telco's this additional value."

 

Duolog, whose competitors in the silicon design sector include Parthus and German
firm Sican, intends initially offering mobile service solutions and products from
2001.

 

"Because of the driving force of speed to market and scarcity of engineering
resource, the major global players are increasingly outsourcing their design
services," commented Bulger. "This is generating major opportunities for
independent design companies and IP (Intellectual Property) providers."